A straw purchase is any purchase where the buyer is not eligible to own the purchased item according to the law and therefore purchases the item through a proxy buyer. Although it usually refers to the purchase of illegal firearms, the term can refer to almost anything bought or sold illegally.

In the United States, straw purchases are a felony violation of the Gun Control Act of 1968 for both the straw purchaser (who can also be charged with lying on Federal Form 4473) and the ultimate possessor. For the record label, see Felony Records The term felony is a term used in common law systems for very serious crimes, whereas misdemeanors are considered to be less serious offenses. ... The Gun Control Act of 1968, Pub. ... Federal Form 4473, also known as the yellow sheet is a US government form that must be filled out when a person buys a firearm from a Federal Firearm License Holder or gunshop. ...

Many gun shops have jointly participated in programs to deter such purchases. // A Federal Firearms License, or FFL, is a license that enables an individual or a company to engage in a business that pertains to the production or sale of firearms and firearm ammunition. ...

Straw purchase other than firearms

A straw purchase can also be defined as any purchase, where the purchaser is knowingly purchasing an item or service for someone who is not able to complete such a transaction. In the realm of a car purchase, a straw purchase is prevalent as well. If a certain individual does not have the appropriate credit to purchase an automobile, based on his or her credit alone, he or she may solicit a friend or relative to purchase the automobile for the use of another. As it is legal to purchase a vehicle for personal use, if one were to purchase a vehicle under the guise of personal use, and to turn the use of the vehicle in a full-time capacity to another, that would also be considered an example of a straw purchase.

A straw purchase can also connote a purchase dealing with a wide range of dealings; including but not limited to: housing, tobacco, alcohol, prostitution, drugs, firearms, automobiles and dealings with credit, such as loans and credit cards.

If intent can be proven, this action is illegal and punishable according to state and federal law.

Signs of a straw purchaser

• The customer seems preoccupied as if he or she is trying to remember something they were supposed to get.
• The customer seems ignorant about firearms and has no real desire to learn about them, yet still wants to buy one.
• The customer comes into the store, notes the cheapest guns and then comes back with money.
• The customer attempts to buy multiple handguns that cost less than $200 each.
• The customer walks in with somebody who directs them on what to buy for them.
• The customer says that he's actually buying the guns for someone else, underage.

If the shopkeeper notices any of these signs, he or she has the right to refuse the sale regardless of the results of the NICS background check. national instant criminal background check system ...

Famous straw purchases

• Robyn Anderson for Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre.
• Noted anti-gun activist Sarah Brady, founder of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (formerly known as Handgun Control, Inc.), purchased a Remington .30-06 rifle with a scope and safety lock at a Lewes, Delaware gun shop, for her son, James Brady, Jr., "as a Christmas present" in 2000. According to Delaware Justice Department spokeswoman Lori Sitler, this purchase was a "straw purchase". Brady confessed to this in her book, A Good Fight.

However, there does not appear to be validity to the claim that Brady violated the federal "straw purchase" law as the actual purchaser, because under Delaware law, a "straw purchase" occurs only if the ultimate recipient is "not qualified to legally purchase, own or possess a firearm in this State." There has been no evidence, much less a legal determination, that Brady's son was such a prohibited person. Robyn K. Anderson was a senior at Columbine High School near Denver and Littleton, Colorado, and a friend of Dylan Klebold. ... Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold Eric David Harris (April 9, 1981 – April 20, 1999) and Dylan Bennet Klebold (September 11, 1981 – April 20, 1999), both high school seniors, were the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre. ... The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado (the CDP of Columbine) near Denver and Littleton. ... front cover snapshot of A Good Fight, published in 2002 Sarah Brady (born February 6, 1942) is the wife of former White House Press Secretary James Scott Brady. ... The Brady Campaign or The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence or The Brady Campaign united with the Million Mom March was founded in 1974 as The National Council to Control Handguns (NCCH) by Dr. Mark Borinsky, a victim of gun violence. ... .303 in. ... Seal of the City of Lewes There are other places called Lewes Lewes (pronounced LOO-is) is an incorporated city located in Sussex County, Delaware. ...

External links

• A Joint Campaign to Prevent Straw Purchases
• ATF News
• Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition homepage